Rail-joint.



UNITED em ne ?gg onFiCE.

BUNDY M. KEEVER, OF UPLAN'D. INDIANA. ASSIGNOE OF ONE- THIRD TO VANE B.

KOENEB. OF UPLAND, INDIAINA.

L mLJom.

Speciacetion of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 7, 1 913.

To all whom it mau con cem Be it known that I, Bunny M. I'x'nevnz, a. citizen of the United States, reding at Upland, in the ounty of Grant and State of Indiane, bave inventecl certain new ancl usefol Improvements in Ral-Joints; and I do hei-aby. dechre the followin I to be a full, clear, and exact description o the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertnins to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in rail binte, and particularly torail joints in whic bolts and the like are eliminated.

The object in view is the n-rangemeot of improved means for holcling to ether the ahntting encls of mile without lle use' of bolts or the like, and yet pormit a proper expansion and conim-.muon of the ralle.

A further object', of the invention is the urren ement of abnttin ende .of 'ails form with grooves :m notches therein, emi fish plates armnged with cor'esponding projections and engoging portions for enaging the various g'ooves and'notches of e ahutting rails for holding the rails togelher end for end, and at thesame time for holding the fish plates in proper position -so as to look all the members 'together withont the use of auxiliary festenn means.

A still further object of tie inventioi ie the arrangement in e rail `oint, of abtting -xen'ds of mile having the oweside of the through the abtting hall of the rail rooved and the up r edge of the base of the rail grooved ami O-med with notches, which grooves lind notches eoact with interlockin fish plates which act as combined braces on Connector&

With these and other objocts in invention comprises novel mush-ue tiene, comb parte as will be hereinefter more fully de se'ihed` sind claimed. In the accompanying drawings: Fi une 1 is a side view of anembodiment of t e in vaution shown in position. Fig. 2 is a top %llim View of the stuctore shown in Fig; l. 'ga 3 is a lngtndm'al sectional vew ende of rails, approximetely on'ne'o ofFg. 1, the ish pletes being-emoved; Fig. 4 is a. section through Fig. 2 on line 4-4; Fig. 5 is a. section throu h Fi 8 on line 5-5. Fig. 6 is a seotion t ro Fig. 3 on line & Fig..7 is a side elevation of one of the fish places look- View the inations, and arrangement of.

ing ot the inner side Lhereof. Fi [a is a -ls slihtly separated, the' same embodying certain eatn'es of the invention. Fig. 9 is a rspecti'e view of the end of a, nail and a plote connected therewith. Fig. 10 is o penspective view of a fish plote enbodyng certain features of the invention.

In constructing a. rail joint emhoclying the invention the rails are constructed in the usml mnnner, and formed with notcles near the ends thereof and nclinecl grooves, which notohes and grooves ure adapted to receive projeetin pottions of `con'ecto's o" fish plates. he fishplates are forme& so as to' fit these respective notches and g-oov'es, om] thue bind the mile to ethet end for end without ,the use of ho te o the like, the otches b ng made of such a size as to permit the 'uelal cont'noton and; ex mision without in ai). way injuring the fish plates or the ende o the 'ails.

In order that the ini-'antian may be more' alem-If understood an embodnent of the sa me s shown in' the acompanying drawi ngs,

m which-1 indients the end of araihanrl 2 1 is forme& with sockets 3 and 4.- provided with dmin aertures 5 an& 6 respectively, 'and also wit inlined groove 7 and 8 provided with' drain apel-&ures 9 .and 10 respeotively. End 2 is fol-med with sockets 11 and 12, and `inclined g'ooves 13 end 14111 a similar manner to those in end 1, and also is provided with dran apertures in a similar manner, the incline moves, however, extending in an outwarcl irec. t-ion or rather toward the end of the nail. These grooves and eper- .turs inthe ende 1 and. 2 are formed in the base of the rail near the web, while in the ball of end 1 are forme&` inclined grooves 15 and 16; The inelined ooves 15 and 16 oommencet the end of e rail and extend back .to a point approximately in line with ini *17, or the laco where gmove 8 ner'ges into the top of e base of end 1. Eno 2 is forme& with inclined grooves 18 and 19 in the ball of the rail on each sideof the wel which etend from the end of the rail-back to a. point above the 'pointof mergngof groove 14 into the top of the rail base;

Fish plates 20' and 21 are provided for 'the rails, and are arranged on each side the-of, as shown in Fig. 2, for properly holding tle mila in alinement end agnnst longitul'ul pe'speeve View of the abitting en s of two' the end of an adjoming or ebutting mil; End

I se

` the fish plates isfomed with luge. 22 and holes or the like, and

which fit me the me mekate, and also each of the fish'lateeis formed with 'over the per notches %and 25 which fit I titions '26 'between the aocket and `the grooved portions -in the baseof the rail.

The fish plates areeah bowed up or indined toward a .central point 27, and' 'each i is formed with a -projeetion 28 (Fg. 10) "and :i flat or horizontal rtion 29. The central pro'jeetio 28 is designed to 'be positioned at the rals, and the side portions 30 and {31 aused to press against the ball'of the rals'm the grooves` 15 :md- 19 respectively.` The m- 'clined portionsBO and 31-`of fish plate 21, of

course, wiILengge the inclined grooves 16 will be noted thei'. 'the fish plates 20 and 21 are of identichleonsmeton and ma'y be interohan'gecl and used on either side' of the miles desired.

the fish pltes may be made of any length, thickness, and-other dimesions as desred for aoco'mmodating any weight ofrail desired to be used. It willbe noted that the topsof the fish 'plates are beveled continuousl y from point 28- to points 32 and 33, but theberng portions -30 and 31 only e'xtend from point 28 to points 34 and 35 whilethe flat-tened 'portion 29 extends from poht 34 to point 35 and bearsagainst the flange rton' 36 on the respectiveendsl and 2. he flangeportion 36 muy he slightly beveled if (lesired, or may be`perfectl'y flat and peralle! with the top of theball otthe rail. The fish plates aremde of such length that-'the 45 lugs 22 and 23 may easily fit into the re spective :sockets of the u uttn`g rails but permiba slight longitudnal 'movement of the rei's, the lugs slipping bak and forth in thesockets. 'Ilhis Will allow for the ip'speexpanion and co tmction of the ra plakes, and without preventing the fish plates from properly coomplishing their function nnely, the holding together of `the abutting ends of mik, nd supporting said abuttng ends for preventmg any 4 knocking er' poundingof the .railset this dmth By the arrangement of the interg ocking' (f-the fish pletes .with the .ab'tting copies 01211113; patent te' ohtnined t the ordinary expnsion e fish plates 20 and 21 erethe mila firmly to junctre of the abutting and 18 of the respective .ende 1 and 2. It,

Also it wllbe evident thlt wthout n any way ;mjuring the fish ende of rail.th reils 'are pretentedftoe When it, is desired to insertone or more 20 and 21 placed their correct. position.. The abutting ea of the reils are then raised a short distance in praotice'usually the fish plates are moved to then; position and the' mile dropped whic L cause the' fish plates to become properly interlocked with themils, andprevet ny movement thereof. After the fish-.pltes have been placed in position the seme'are spiked down in the -usual mam ner. I' acomplshng the. plaeing of the p a e .ready been spked down the spikes must be withdrwn for a short (listaice back in 'order to .of the'mil."

V What I claim is:

.1 In e rail-joint "the combintion with -the'ahutting ende bf formedwith-a socket and grobved top 'of the base, portion cri each lower side of the ballmer g into the bottom of the ball et a point s l tantially'above the point where' the ,moov in the ha'se merges into the upper surfaceof the base, of fish plates armnged with a 'pluralityfof projectng members, said proecting mem being designed and; said grooves for looking said reils together end for end, andfor bmcng the :zbutting endsiof said rals.

2. In a rail joint, the oombinaton with abttting ende of ralle formed with .notcles theren, of fish' plates formed With projec* tions for &tt-ing into said notches for holding said 'mile together end toend, and also formed with ahowed 'up central portion 'having the upper edge engaging the extreme ende of the rails for. preventing pou'ndin'g at that point.

roper on each side of the web ROl'luQn merging into the nd' also' with a grooved in presence of two Aw esses. V

BUNDY'M. KEEVER. W'itnesses:

SAmJEL S. Pmrmx, i

in; five eenteaoh, by washington, D.

'hadi-emine; the Coinmissioeo! Patenta,

ralle the same are-'brought together end for g end m the usual -mamer, and thefiKpIetes looseIy approximatel in permit a. slight miing of the end to fit into said soclcets ;s'o large eitent, from' creeping :s-when one rail -haa` a tendeioy-to creep-theadjoining rails' will in' this manneposition .when on'e rail has al rails, a'ch of which is sideof the web' on the .i

- In teetimony wheref I afix my signature U 

